What Can I Keep on a Countertop to Prevent Sugar Ants?

Boric Acid

• Boric acid is a mineral-based ingredient that works as a stomach poison, killing ants that ingest it. You can prepare your own boric acid bait by mixing 1 tsp. boric acid powder with 2 cups mint apple jelly. This approximately 1 percent concentration of boric acid doesn’t repel sugar ants the way higher concentrations do, and it’s just as effective in killing them. The US Environmental Protection Agency classifies boric acid as having low to very-low toxicity, although you should still be careful not to inhale it and it should be kept out of the reach of children.

Baiting

• Place small amounts of bait in bottle caps, on pieces of aluminum foil, on masking tape or in short sections of soda straws. Use a squeeze bottle to inject the bait into the straws and make sure you label the bottle “Poison.” Place between 20 and 30 baits on countertops and wherever else you see ants, but ensure that the bait traps are out of the reach of children and pets. If using masking tape, change the tape every few days. Don’t spray cleaning agents around your bait or the ants won’t come near them. Bait doesn’t provide instantaneous control, but after six weeks you should see results.

Essential Oils

• Essential oils like clove and citrus kill ants by disrupting octopamine, a neurotransmitter found in ants, but not in people or pets. They’re considered to pose a minimum risk to inhabitants and don’t require Environmental Protection Agency approval. To control ants, place 3 to 5 drops of essential oils on windowsills, along countertops, doorway cracks and in the corners of cabinets.

Diatomaceous Earth

• Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of one-celled plants. It kills sugar ants that come into contact with it by piercing their shells and causing them to fatally dehydrate. When purchasing the diatomaceous earth, only use a food-grade variety because pool-grade diatomaceous earth contains chemicals. Apply diatomaceous earth under appliances, inside cabinets and drawers, along baseboards and wherever else you see ants. Use a dust mask and goggles when applying diatomaceous earth and protect electrical equipment from dust damage by covering it.

Debunked

• Some popular, home-based ant remedies don’t work, according to entomologists at the University of Nebraska, who report that products containing 8 percent and 4 percent mint oil have no effect on ants. Vinegar and lemon juice aren’t effective insecticides either, although you can temporarily disrupt an ant’s scent trail by wiping surfaces down with a solution of vinegar and water. Bleach also hides the scent of an ant’s trail but has no long-lasting insecticidal effect.